It was too little, too late.
The fourth night, I didn’t hear him at all. He’d come home and went right to bed.
On the fifth, I’d waited for him at the kitchen table to discuss the house and our future. I told him I was moving out, and I would be back for my stuff. He only nodded as I explained how we’d separate from each other forever.
As I stood to return to the guest bedroom, he grabbed my hand and asked. “Is there any chance you’ll stay?”
It took everything I had not to take him into my arms andsay yes. To erase the misery that had consumed us these past few days.
I gazed at his perfectly styled brown hair, and handsome face. His clear blue eyes yearned for me to tell him what he wanted to hear. I shook my head, pulling my lips into a straight line as I fought tears and slipped my fingers from his.
I couldn’t.
It would cost me everything.
I wasn’t sure when he’d finally gone to bed because my crying muffled everything out.
What I was doing was right for me, but it didn’t make it any easier.
This wasn’t an overnight decision. It was one that had been coming for months. While it seemed sudden to others, Elijah had been pushing me away for longer than I realized.
“We’re here!” I said as I pulled in front of my mom’s house, bringing me out of my memories. “Will you back me up?”
“Duh!”
Jade jumped out and walked down the driveway to help me. When I got out of my Jeep, my mom stepped out the door and grabbed me.
“Welcome home, sweetie. I missed you.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “I was just here, Mom.”
“It’s never enough.”
I smiled and took a deep breath, and like always, she smelled like home.
“You remember Jade, right?” I pulled back and gestured to the guest we’d completely neglected.
“Of course, I do! Come here, honey.”
My mom was the epitome of kindness and hospitality. She welcomed everyone with open arms. That was, until you got on her bad side, and then all hell would break loose.
“Let’s get you two inside. I bet you’re tired from the trip.”She put her arms around our shoulders and carted us through the door. “I’ve got a fresh pot of coffee brewing.”
That night, my mom’s house echoed with laughter and unfiltered happiness, creating one of the most unforgettable nights I’d experienced in a long time.
Leaving Elijah behind had created a hole in my heart that I needed to heal. I mourned the loss of him, and the friend he had once been. But surrounding myself with the people who loved me most and accepted every part of me only solidified my decision. At my mom’s, there was no pretending or expectations.
The Cadence who came out was unapologetically authentic.
I finally felt free.
My mom had a three-bedroom house, but beside her room and mine, the other was unusable. She’d filled it with workout equipment that would never be used and extra pieces of furniture.
So, Jade would sleep with me in my old queen-sized bed like we did as kids.
We hurried through our night routine before climbing under the sheets. I turned off the lamp on my nightstand and settled in, facing away from Jade, and tried to find that sweet spot in the mattress that optimized my comfiness.
“Goodnight, Jade. Thanks for coming up with me today.”
